


End Credits

by pinecovewoods



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Modern Era, Self projection, roadtrip au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-08 22:59:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17395343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinecovewoods/pseuds/pinecovewoods
Summary: “I guess I was just wondering how long it took you to decide to come with me?”“Deciding to run away with you was the easiest decision I’ve ever made in my entire life.”





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> kinda based off the song end credits by eden which you should all listen to because it’s one of my favorite songs on the planet. 
> 
> also this is 100% self projection so please enjoy my fantasy life

“We should get a map.”

“Like a paper map? Why?”

“The aesthetic.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

The sun turns the sky a mixture of bright blue and light pink as they drive down the interstate. Their hands sit intertwined on the center consul, Mush’s thumb rubbing absentmindedly over her skin as he taps along to the music on the steering wheel.

“Is this Weezer?” He asks, smile widening as she nods. “Jesus, what did I do to deserve you?”

“Please,” she rolls her eyes, unable to hide her smile, “you’re only with me for my music taste.”

“How long have you been working on this playlist?” He questions, nodding to the beat. “It’s ridiculously good.”

“Since the first time I told you I wanted to run away.”

“Three years, damn,” Mush shakes his head, “if you’re that dedicated to making a playlist then we’re never gonna break up.”

She leans over and presses a kiss to the back of his hand.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Mush drives, and she watches the sky change colors, content in the silence only broken by the music coming through the speakers. She looks over and sees him singing under his breath, smiling softly.

He glances back at her, a light blush spreading across his cheeks.

“What? Am I that bad?”

She giggles, shaking her head.

“No, you’re great, it’s just,” she smiles again, “sometimes it just hits me, how handsome you are. I just like looking at you.”

His blush deepens, but he brings the back of her hand up to his mouth and presses a light kiss to the skin, smiling.

“Guess it’s a good thing you never have to stop looking at me then.”

“Mmhmm,” she hums, leaning back against the seat.

The dwindling sun illuminates the mountains as it starts to set, and Mush pulls off of the interstate.

They park in front of a gas station, hands connected as they walk inside. He presses a kiss to her temple, spinning her around once before they split off into different aisle.

“Sour cream and onion or salt and vinegar?” She asks.

“Is that really a question?”

She smiles and picks up both bags, mumbling along to the music crackling through the gas station speakers. She turns to the aisle Mush is in, smiling at how hard he was concentrating on the different types of candy.

“You look like you’re making the biggest decision of your life,” she teases, “pick what you want right now, there’ll be other places we can stop if you want something else.”

“I think this is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life,” Mush mumbles, not blinking as he scans the shelves.

After a few moments he finally grabs a pack of twizzlers and a bag of m-n-m’s, nodding to himself and taking her hand.

“You’re such a dork,” she rolls her eyes as they pay for their food.

“We should find somewhere to camp out, watch the stars,” Mush suggests as they get gas, both of them leaning on opposite sides of the car, “maybe sleep for a bit before we get back on the road.”

“You asking me out on a date, Mushy?”

They make their way to a camp ground, Mush throwing the car into park when they enter their spot. She pulls some blankets out of the trunk, the two of them settling on the hood of the car, Mush’s arm around her shoulders and her head resting on his chest as the sky finally falls black.

“As excited as I am to be in New York City,” he whispers, “we gotta make sure we get out once in a while to look at the stars again.”

“Regular date nights stargazing?” She asks, smiling. “That’s something I can get behind.”

She looks up at him, watching as his eyes glint in the starlight.

“Mush?”

“Hmm?”

“You said earlier that choosing the candy was the hardest decision you’ve made in your life, which is ridiculous, but it got me thinking and I,” she trails off, looking down and fumbling with her fingers, “I guess I was just wondering how long it took you to decide to come with me?”

“Deciding to run away with you was the easiest decision I’ve ever made in my entire life,” Mush replies gently, meaningfully.

She sits up a bit, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion as Mush smiles.

“Y/N,” he takes her hand in his own, “I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember. It’s not really a secret that you’re my best friend…I’d follow you to the ends of the earth. No where is home if you’re not there.”

Her jaw drops a bit, obviously not expecting that to be the answer. Mush laughs, placing a finger under her chin to simultaneously close her mouth and bring her lips to his. He kisses her gently, lovingly, effectively ridding her mind of all the doubts.

“I love you, Mush.”

“I love you so much, darling,” he murmurs, “more than all the stars in the universe.”

She smiles, kissing him again before they lean back on the windshield. She closes her eyes and hums contently, wrapped in both the blanket and his arms.

Her breathing slows down soon enough, and Mush presses a gentle kiss to her forehead. He reaches down into his pocket, his fingers brushing against the velvet box - the last major purchase he made before they left Lemon Grove.

After all, what better way to start the new chapter in his life than to marry the girl of his dreams?


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fair warning, this is going to be ridiculously sappy."

"Tell me about them."

Mush turns down the volume a notch so they could speak, quickly glancing at her.

"Who?"

"These boys we're gonna live with," she says, "tell me about them."

"I've told you about them every time I come home from there," he says.

"I know," she takes his hand, smiling as he squeezes, "but I like hearing you talk."

Mush is sure his heart melts, and he's all too aware of the box weighing heavily in his pocket.

"So you know I used to spend the summers in New York with my dad before he moved to Florida," Mush smiles, wistful and happy, "these guys are like my second family. The first person I met there was Blink, you've talked to him a few times on FaceTime, remember?" He continues after she nods. "He's probably the one I'm closest to out there, he's the one that introduced me to the others. They're just...they're really great people, way better than the shitty quote unquote friends we had in California. They support each other and take care of each other...they feel like home."

"If they're anything like you then I'm sure they're amazing," she says.

Mush rolls his eyes, which makes her laugh, and he smiles at the sound. They continue to drive in peaceful silence, Y/N humming along with the music.

They pass a road sign, Y/N perking up as she reads it.

"Oklahoma City," she smiles, "halfway there."

"Living on a prayer."

"Oh my god," she groans, shaking her head, "only you would make a Bon Jovi reference at nine in the morning."

Mush laughs, sounding like music.

"You love me," he teases.

She smiles, kissing the back of his hand.

"I do."

—

Mush sat with his legs dangling in the pool, holding his phone up as he talks to Blink on FaceTime.

"How far out are you guys?"

"About six hours," Mush replies, "we're somewhere outside of Pittsburg, found a Motel Six that wasn't too expensive to sleep at for the night."

"Is she outside with you?"

"No, she's inside taking a shower," Mush says, furrowing his eyebrows, "why?"

"Have you asked her yet?" Blink's eyes flash mischievously, and Mush groans, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"No, not yet," he says, "I would of told you if I had. I wanna wait till we get to the city, start our new lives with a momentous occasion."

"Yeah, cause running away to the other side of the country isn't momentous enough." Blink teases, but smiles anyway, "if you want I can probably get us reservations at this restaurant Davey manages. It's fancy but not like super fancy, perfect for a first night in New York. She won't suspect a thing."

"Yeah, that would be perfect," Mush says, "we're gonna leave here around eight or nine, so we should get to you by four at the latest. I'll let you know when we're close."

"Sounds good man," Blink replies, "drive careful, Manhattan traffic is hell on earth."

"I will, thanks."

A pair of arms wrap themselves around Mush's shoulders, careful not to knock the phone out of his hand and into the pool.

"I'm gone for ten minutes and you leave me for someone else," she teases, giggling a bit, "hi Blink."

"Hey, Y/N," the boy responds, laughing as Mush rolls his eyes, "you should'a jumped on him, made him drop his phone in the water."

"I was gonna," she says, pinching Mush cheek teasingly, "but I can't stand to see this pretty face upset."

"I'm terrified for what happens when you two finally team up," he says, and the other two laugh again.

"I'll let you go, spend some time with your girl," Blink smiles, "see you tomorrow bud."

"See ya tomorrow."

He hangs up, and the mood shifts. Y/N sits cross legged beside him, fumbling with her hands. Mush furrows his eyebrows, automatically being able to sense that something's off.

"What's wrong?"

She shrugs, and Mush takes one of her hands gently.

"Are you having second thoughts?" He asks. "Cause it's okay if you are, but I just want you to talk to me."

"No it's not that it's just..." she takes a deep breath, eyes fixed on the pool in front of them, "if we weren't going to New York, if we were going somewhere else, would you still have come with me?"

"Y/N, baby, when I said I'd follow you to the ends of the earth I meant it," Mush replies, "whether it's New York or Africa or the moon," he pauses, smiling as she laughs a bit, "wherever you go I wanna be there."

He looks at her for a few seconds, in awe of how beautiful she is under the dim motel lights, but also worried at the thought of her anxiety.

"Going to New York just happened to be easier because of the guys," he says gently, "but even if I didn't know them, or even if we were going to live in the middle of the woods in Nebraska, if you asked, I'd be there."

"You're too good for me," she whispers, "I'm sorry I keep asking you about it...sometimes it just gets in my head that I forced you into this or something, and hearing you say that you want to be here helps."

"You ask me as many times as you need to," Mush says, pulling her into his side and slipping and arm around her shoulders, "I'll never get tired of telling you how much I love you."

She hums in response, and Mush itches to pull the box out of his pocket and put her mind at rest once and for all. But he doesn't, he knows that for now her anxiety is at bay, and that tomorrow with be much better than a proposal by some shady Motel Six pool.

\---

"Blink says he has an extra spot to park in his building," Mush says, pausing as the GPS tells him directions, "can you text him? We should be there in ten minutes."

"I'm nervous," she says as she types on Mush's phone, "is it weird that I'm nervous?"

"I mean, no, not really," he replies, "you're meeting new people, you're allowed to be nervous."

"He said he's waiting in the parking garage," she laughs, "I think I have some competition for your affection."

"Please, there's plenty of me to go around."

A few minutes later they pull into the garage, driving around until they spot Blink standing in an empty space. His face lights up as Mush waves, and he steps out of the way so they can pull into the parking spot.

"Ready?" Mush asks, unable to keep his smile off of his face.

"Here comes the rest of our lives," she says.

They exit the car, and Mush is immediately tackled into a hug by Blink, and Y/N smiles.

"Y/N! So nice to meet you in person," Blink gives the girl a short but friendly hug, "Mush never shuts up about you."

"I can say the same about you," she smiles, "thanks for letting us crash at your place, took a lot of the stress off."

"Stay as long as you need," Blink waves her off, "I've got the room now that Spot moved in with Race, and it'll be nice to have the company."

"Let's unload later," Mush says, "Blink's got reservations at this restaurant that's supposed to be super good, we can walk around a bit and then head over there."

"Yeah, lemme show you around," Blink says, throwing an arm over each of them, "welcome home."

Forty five minutes later the trio entered the restaurant, following Blink to a back staircase and up to the roof.

"Perks of having the manager as a friend," Blink smiles, and the door opens to loud chatter, "hey everyone, found some wanders that I thought could use someone friends."

They're met with a roaring sound of 'Mush!' erupting from the group, the boys practically sprinting over to wrap the boy in a hug.

"Well no wonder they stuck you guys up on the roof," Y/N jokes, and Blink laughs.

"Yeah, we're kind of a rowdy bunch," he chuckles, "but you'll get used to it, and you'll fit right in, I can tell."

They watch as Mush says his hello's to each of the group, and Blink looks at her again.

"You love him a lot, yeah?"

"More than all the stars in the universe," she smiles, "I loved him even before I knew what love was. We've only been together officially for a little over two years, but there was never anyone else for me other than Mush. I wanna spend the rest of my life with him," she freezes, looking over at Blink with wide eyes, "don't tell him I said that."

Blink smiles, and mocks zipping his lips.

Introductions take up most of the dinner, and Y/N thinks Mush has more friends in New York than the entire population of their old town.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it," Mush whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, "and later this week we can meet up with Davey and Katherine, they're a lot more chill than these idiots."

"I'm just happy we're finally here," she smiles, "it's still so surreal though."

It's time.

Mush gently taps his fork against his glass of champagne, effectively silencing his friends.

"Fair warning, this is going to be ridiculously sappy," he smiles a bit at the laughter from his friends, "I just wanted to extend a thank you to all of you for welcoming us into your lives here, it means a lot not only to me but to Y/N also," he turns slightly in his seat, eyes sparkling as he looks at her, "you don't know her that well yet, but this girl right here is the most important person in my entire life, sorry Blink."

"I'm crushed," Blink says dramatically, placing a hand on his forehead as he slumps in his seat.

Mush rolls his eyes and focuses his attention back to her.

"When you asked me to run away with you my immediate answer was yes, because it what would make you happy and that's the only thing I've ever wanted. You are the biggest source of happiness in my life, and I never want that to change. There's no one else out in the world for me, I got lucky and met my soulmate at thirteen," Mush takes a deep breath, slips the box out of his pocket, and kneels down on the concrete, "Y/N, my darling, will you marry me?"

A single tear rolls down her face, and the pure love in her eyes makes Mush feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Of course I'll marry you," she breathes, pulling him up by the shirt and kissing him hard, the cheers and claps buzzing in the background.

Mush slips the ring onto her finger, and she kisses him again, unable to hold back the smile on her face. She looks over at Blink.

"So when I said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him..."

"I knew that was reciprocated," Blink smiles, "and I knew that you'd find out soon enough."

She shakes her head, blushing at the congratulations shouted from around the table.

"How long have you been planning this?" She asks Mush, eyes wider than usual. "There's no way you bought this here."

"I bought that four months after we graduated college," Mush says, "when you came and asked me to run away with you for real. The fact that the one thing you wanted from our crappy old lives was me...I knew that I couldn't live my life without you."

"Jesus, I'm so ridiculously in love with you," she kisses him again, and the boy feels his heart melt, "I can't believe this is real."

"Welcome to the rest of our lives, baby."


End file.
